ESPN'sBrian Windhorstnoted Irving wants to be traded in part because he "wants to play in a situation where he can be more of a focal point" instead of playing the No. 2 guy behind LeBron James.

The Knicks would afford Irving that opportunity. Carmelo Anthony is still a high-volume scorer, but he's no longer a franchise cornerstone. Kristaps Porzingis has tremendous potential, but he's just 21 years old and is still putting everything together.

Irving would give the Knicks a franchise building block. He's a four-time All-Star who scored a career-high 25.2 points per game last season. New York hasn't made the postseason since the 2012-13 season and hasn't won more than 37 games in each of the past four seasons.